The days of selling music in a traditional brick-and-mortar store are giving way to a new era. Ecommerce has become an integral component of the music store industry. Some music stores strictly sell in-person at conventional retail establishments yet more are transitioning to hybrid online/offline sales or even 100% online.
Building an ecommerce presence for your music store doesn’t require a massive financial investment. Print out the guide below, reference it as you embark on your ecommerce adventure and you’ll be selling to local, regional and nationwide customers within months.
Understanding the Ecommerce Landscape for Music Stores
As the digital era reshapes the music industry, traditional music instrument stores are finding new avenues for growth through ecommerce. The dynamics of selling musical instruments have evolved from brick-and-mortar setups to online platforms, creating a diverse and competitive landscape. This shift requires a profound understanding of the changing consumer preferences, digital marketing strategies, and technological advancements. By delving into this transformative journey, music instrument stores can harness the power of online platforms to connect with a broader audience, offer a seamless shopping experience, and ultimately, strike the right chord in the ever-evolving world of online commerce.
Essential Components of an Ecommerce Music Store
Surf the web, checking out the top online music instrument stores and you’ll find they share some important common themes. It is in your interest to implement similar themes into your ecommerce music store so be sure to take notes when scoping out the competition.
Substance certainly matters yet style is what makes the all-important first impression. Consider hiring a web designer to create a polished website that pleases the eye and functions to perfection on all web-connected devices. Prioritize the user experience design as music store websites that are easy to use tend to rake in the most revenue.
Keep an eye on the prize when designing your website. Add a secure payment gateway that functions without flaw and your online visitors will have the confidence necessary to pay for music online.
The final piece of the puzzle is inventory management. Create an inventory management system along with an order fulfillment system and your online music store will be truly comprehensive.
Curating and Showcasing Music Products
Selling music instruments online as a standalone product might not be enough for your music store to capture sufficient online market share. Diversify your product mix. Consider offering customers the option of booking music lessons online.
Sell a diverse range of related products from your website, such as accessories and additional services, and you’ll find online visitors are that much more likely to return for additional visits. Balance such substantive components with stylistic components highlighted by aesthetically pleasing images along with multimedia for product displays and you’ll succeed in holding the audience’s attention. The more time spent on the site, the greater the likelihood of sales.
Sprinkle in positive customer reviews from favorable writeups posted to the web’s many review directories. Such reviews constitute all-important social proof that verifies the legitimacy and merits of your business, making building an ecommerce presence that much quicker and easier.
Implementing Effective Marketing Strategies
Effective marketing largely consists of engaging content. In particular, product descriptions are especially important as they detail the subtleties of your value offering. Add keywords and key phrases to your online content to maximize search engine optimization (SEO). Steer even more online traffic to your website through social media.
Add links to your homepage and other components of your online footprint across the entirety of your social media pages. Interact with your audience at every opportunity and be patient as traffic gradually increases.
Provide online visitors with the option of filling out a contact form. Visitors who enter their name, email and other contact information into such a form are ripe for conversion as they’ve demonstrated an interest in the value offering. Massage those leads toward conversion with monthly emails and you’ll boost engagement while hiking your retention rate.
Providing a Seamless Customer Experience
Now that your ecommerce store is set up, shift your perspective to that of a customer. Use a smartphone, laptop, tablet and traditional desktop computer to surf the web to your online store. Double-check the load time and checkout process on each such web-connected device, ensuring the shopping experience is optimized for mobile devices.
Make it easy for online shoppers to buy your products by offering several shipping and payment options. Fortify the shopping experience with the addition of a customer support system that responds to inquiries and concerns in a timely manner. Ideally, your music store’s online presence will include a FAQ or even a live chat specialist who provides answers to questions in real-time within a chatbox popup window.
Building Trust and Credibility
Analyze the shopping experience from a customer’s perspective and your thoughts will likely veer toward the legitimacy of the online store. Your business will appear that much more credible if you present your privacy policies on your homepage. It is also in your interest to highlight the steps taken for secure purchases to strengthen customer rapport.
If your music store has not yet established relationships with local musicians or music brands that have a sterling reputation, now is the time to forge those bonds. Showcase your affiliations with musicians and brands and you’ll develop a rapport with your online visitors.
When in doubt, offer discounts or run promotions to attract new customers and ramp up exposure. As is commonly said, all publicity is good publicity. Make customers aware that you are open to feedback including testimonials and you’ll find building an ecommerce presence is that much easier.
Leveraging Data Analytics for Growth
It is best to view your ecommerce store as a work in progress. Keep your finger on the pulse of the music industry including rival music stores to identify opportunities for product expansion along with emerging trends. Use such trends and data to fuel your decision-making rather than relying on gut instinct. Gain valuable insights into customer preferences and behavior when shopping online with the use of the latest analytical tools.
Break down the data, retarget visitors who bounced away from the site without making a purchase and you’ll maximize conversions. Above all, maintain an open mind. Consider establishing partnerships with platforms related to music. Do some research into whether it makes financial sense to expand sales to an international audience.
It might even make financial sense to complement your ecommerce presence with a traditional brick-and-mortar store.
Ensuring Legal Compliance
Building an ecommerce presence will backfire unless you do so within the confines of the law. Meet with a business law attorney to guarantee you’ve covered all the bases in the context of the law.
A business law attorney will provide invaluable insight into licensing and copyright challenges for music-related products. Moreover, it is also in your interest to publicize the fact that you go to great lengths to secure customer data in full accordance with privacy laws.
If you have any questions about compliance with sales regulations for online purchases or the subtleties of tax law, pose them to your business law advisor. The alternative is to take an unjustified risk that has the potential to lead to financially crippling legal action.
Plan Your Pivot to Ecommerce Music Sales
Now is the time to embrace the transition to online sales. Shifting online doesn’t mean you have to completely abandon your traditional brick-and-mortar music store. Sell in both arenas or gradually transition away from the conventional approach to one that is more web-focused.
Keep your finger on the pulse of ecommerce and music industry technology as the tech revolution unfolds and you’ll continue to find new opportunities to maximize all potential revenue streams.
Music Shop 360 Helps Music Stores Sell Online
We help music stores like yours make the most of the tech transition for building an ecommerce presence. We provide everything you need to automate your business. From automated marketing tools to integrated point-of-sale technology and more, we make it easy to run a music store with the utmost efficiency.
Give our top-rated music shop point-of-sale software a try and you’ll find it is easy to integrate. This is the intuitive high-tech solution you’ve been waiting for.
Reach out to us today at (385) 279-4567 or send us an email at sales@musicshop360.com to learn more about building an ecommerce presence. You can also contact us online by completing our contact form.